Feeding at 6 months with artificial feeding: rules, scheme, features

When the baby begins to grow up, the question arises about the introduction of complementary foods. This is especially true for those babies who are breast-fed. After all, such nutrition is similar in composition to breast milk, but it is not able to completely replace it. And the baby needs to diversify the menu to provide the body with nutrients. Many mothers are interested in how to introduce complementary foods at 6 months with artificial feeding. The article will discuss the features of this process, its advantages and disadvantages.

When to introduce complementary foods

Children who are breast-fed, it is recommended to introduce complementary foods much earlier than infants. Disputes between children's doctors on this issue have not subsided to this day. Some are advised to introduce new products in 3 months, while others - wait until at least 4.5. After all, mixtures are not able to adapt to the needs of the baby and change their fat content.

Feeding is especially important for babies who are poorly gaining weight. They also have some signs of anemia or vitamin deficiency. This does not mean that children on artificial feeding should receive complementary foods at 3 months. All this is individual. It is best for parents to focus on starting feeding at 6 months.

Six months is the best time. The child’s nervous, digestive and excretory systems are quite strong. At the same time, energy requirements have increased. At this age, many of the babies begin to sit, try to crawl and perform many other actions.

Later introduction of complementary foods is fraught with a lag in the development of the child. Indeed, in this case, he will later begin to chew solid food.

How to understand when a child needs complementary foods

Many mothers ask: is complementary feeding required at 6 months with artificial feeding? Usually the baby himself reports the need for more satisfying food. It’s easy to guess: the baby is constantly hungry, naughty. Also, in a baby who does not eat up, weight is reduced.

If the baby receives the mixture by age, but wakes up and does not sleep well, parents should think about expanding the diet.

It is also necessary to ensure that the child has enough vitamins and nutrients. The signs indicating their deficiency include mounds on the forehead, peeling on the back of the head. This may be a manifestation of rickets. To correct the condition requires the consumption of a sufficient amount of calcium, vitamins A and D. Be sure to consult a specialist.

How to introduce complementary foods at 6 months

Before starting feeding, parents should consult a pediatrician. Here are the key recommendations:

1. The first time food is given in small quantities. 1-2 spoons are enough. Over the next days, the amount of complementary foods increases. After a week and a half, they can replace one feeding. At the same time, the serving volume is 150 g. It turns out that the baby has one feeding a day - complementary foods, and the rest - mixtures.
2. New food is introduced into the diet if the child is completely healthy. This rule must always be observed.
3. New products appear on the menu gradually. Monthly feeding for babies must be administered correctly for months. This will allow parents to follow the reaction of the child's body to a particular product. If the baby has diathesis, bloating, colic or diarrhea, then complementary foods should be postponed for 1-2 months. If everything went fine, then gradually increase the serving size.
4. Dishes should be in the form of mashed potatoes so that the baby does not choke on slices. Over time, food is made denser, and only then denser.
5. Due to the fact that the baby has not lost touch with the mixture, they initially offer him a bottle. And only then they give new food.
6. You need to feed your child a new dish while sitting.
7. It is also necessary to give the baby water, compotes, herbal teas.

Introducing new foods into the baby’s diet is best done during daytime feeding. Thus, it will be easiest to track his reaction to the product.

Features of feeding a child on artificial feeding

There are some differences between babies who are on different types of feeding. With HB, mom herself begins to gradually expand her diet. The baby is trying new products indirectly, so the reaction to them is smoothed out. In this case, the body of the baby is gradually preparing for the transition to adult food.

Many mothers are concerned about how to introduce complementary foods at 6 months. If only a mixture was present in the baby’s diet, then you need to be extremely careful. Parents must strictly follow the rules of complementary foods. It is important to be guided by the scheme of introduction of products.

The mixture is not a complete analogue of breast milk. Therefore, expand the baby's menu carefully. You need to start with light and safe products. Sometimes situations arise when the digestive system of a child cannot cope even with one-component vegetable purees.

Because of this, the standard beginning of complementary foods (at 6 months) has to be postponed for some time. And make up for the lack of nutrients by more frequent feeding.

There is an opposite feature. Despite the fact that milk formulas are saturated with vitamins and minerals, their quantity is not enough for the baby’s growing body. In this situation, complementary foods are administered by direct recommendation of a pediatrician.

Where to begin

The first lure (at 6 months) is recommended to start with mashed potatoes. Some mothers ask why with them. Indeed, for many, cereals seem to be more familiar food. There are some features here. Porridge, as well as milk formula, contribute to rapid weight gain. Most often, pediatricians advise their babies to breastfeed and those who suffer from low body weight. Usually such problems are absent from artisans.

In addition, vegetable purees at 6 months are best absorbed by the child's body. They contain vitamins and carbohydrates, which are necessary for the proper development of the child.

However, not all vegetables are suitable for feeding. Pediatricians recommend giving preference to products that have a green color. These include zucchini, potatoes, squash, peas, cauliflower. Yellow, orange, and red vegetables can cause an allergic reaction.

You can purchase finished products. Among them, the puree "Grandmother's basket" stands out for its properties. However, the choice remains with the parents.

Which is better: homemade puree or industrial

In modern conditions, many mothers help out baby food. From 6 months you can choose products from trusted manufacturers. They can feed the baby from 6 months to 1.5 years. Gradually transferring the child to the common table.

If parents make homemade mashed potatoes from vegetables, of which they are fully confident, then there should be no doubt. And if they are purchased in a store, then they can be processed with various chemicals. And such vegetables can negatively affect the body of the child.

Good baby food is made from quality raw materials. Moreover, it meets all hygiene requirements. Modern technologies are able to keep mashed most of the nutrients.

The most famous include mashed potatoes "Grandmother's basket", Gerber, Semper, "Subject", "Agusha" and others.

The following foods for complementary foods

The feeding scheme at 6 months with artificial feeding is as individual as the original age. It is best for parents to discuss it with their pediatrician, who knows the features of the development of the child and advises what and how best to enter into the diet.

However, there are well-known principles. Between the introduction of two products should take at least a week.

The first cereals for babies on artificial feeding are administered no earlier than six months. Moreover, they should be gluten-free. These include buckwheat, rice or corn porridge. Gluten-free cereals (oatmeal and semolina) are best included in the diet after 8 months. The introduction of complementary foods with cereals from 6 months is no different from the order of introduction of vegetable purees. Start with 1 spoon, gradually bring to 180-200 g. Cooking porridge is necessary only in water. Milk can cause allergies.

Cottage cheese is a source of calcium and certain amino acids. It is allowed to enter it in the diet from 5-6 months. The daily dose for babies should be no more than 50 g. Otherwise, an excessive load will be placed on the child’s liver.

In the menu of a 6-month-old baby, you can already enter the yolk. It is thoroughly boiled and triturated. Initially, the yolk is given to the baby in a small amount. Gradually bring to 0.5 yolk. Due to the fact that they are very allergenic, eating them every day is not recommended. Enough 2 times a week. Yolk can be added to mashed vegetables.

By 7 months, the baby’s stomach is ready to take meat. It’s best for parents to start with mashed potatoes. At home, a dish of this consistency is unlikely to work. If the child is allergic to milk, then it is forbidden to eat beef and veal. It is best to start with chicken, turkey or rabbit meat. By the age of 9 months, mashed potatoes are replaced with meatballs, and the first steam cutlets are prepared by the year.

In some cases, meat is introduced into the child’s diet earlier if he has anemia. It can be 5 months old. All this is individual and usually decided with a pediatrician.

By 7-8 months, marine fish may appear in the baby’s diet. It is best if it is cod, sea bass, hake. Fish can replace meat 1-2 times a week. It is good for the baby’s body, which is easily digestible and contains many useful substances. It contains a lot of vitamin B and minerals.

Dairy products are allowed to be introduced into the diet of a child from 7 months. In this case, whole milk should not be included in the menu for up to a year.

There are several opinions about when to give your child fruit juices. Many pediatricians advise postponing their administration to a year. However, some experts recommend starting the lure with fruit juices and mashed potatoes. Indeed, in addition to a pleasant taste, they contain a lot of useful substances and vitamins.

Apples, apricots, and also pears are introduced into the child’s food. They are steamed or baked. Banana is allowed to be given raw. It is important to enter fruits in the menu in turn. In this case, it is imperative to monitor how the child's body responds to them. If the baby normally digests fruit puree, then it can be given to the baby 2 times a day.

Feeding scheme

The table of complementary foods for children who are on artificial feeding will help parents to navigate with the choice of products for a certain age.

Proper complementary feeding at 6 months with artificial feeding is the key to the future health of the baby. You can understand that everything is done correctly by a child who is steadily gaining weight. At the same time, negative manifestations in the form of allergies and other symptoms are completely absent.

Changing stool during feeding

When new foods are introduced into the baby’s diet, his digestive system adapts to them. During this period, a change in color and consistency of the stool may be observed. It can become foamy, liquid with pieces of undigested food. Occasionally, stool frequency increases. Over time, it hardens and darkens. This is due to the fact that with the beginning of the use of new products in the intestine, new bacteria appear. In any case, parents should constantly monitor the child's stool. After all, this is one of the signs that the product came up or not. If feces have an unpleasant odor, and their color is completely different from what the food was, then you need to consult a pediatrician. In some situations, the introduction of one of their products will have to be abandoned for a while.

Complementary feeding

The famous pediatrician advises starting lure with kefir. Initially start with 2-4 tsp. After 7 days, the baby can eat 150-200 ml of dairy product.

For children who are on artificial feeding, the introduction of complementary foods is postponed for 1-1.5 months in one direction or another.

After kefir, the pediatrician recommends switching to cottage cheese. Its first portion is added to the fermented milk product. A mixture of kefir and cottage cheese must be brought to a homogeneous state. Within a few days, its amount is increased to 30 g.

Dr. Komarovsky advises introducing complementary foods in the second feeding, i.e. in the morning. With this scheme, it is easiest for parents to track the baby’s reaction to new foods.

The following product includes cereals: buckwheat, rice or oatmeal. At the same time, Komarovsky advises to cook them not in water, but in milk. It is important that the child is not allergic to the product. In this case, milk is best introduced into the diet after 2-3 years.

According to the well-known pediatrician, fruits and vegetables are referred to as third products (the standard scheme for feeding children for months is presented above in the table). They replace the third feeding. It is best to give children fruit or vegetable puree. Salt or sugar should not be added to the dish. The first serving should not exceed 30 g.

After 2-3 weeks, meat is introduced. First Komarovsky offers to introduce the broth. Next is the mashed meat. Acquaintance must begin with 2-3 tbsp. l product.

Feeding at 6 months with artificial feeding must be administered correctly in order to diversify the diet of the child. During this, parents need to monitor the health of the baby. If negative symptoms occur, the introduction of a new product should be postponed for some time.